


please don't leave me here

by writerblender



Series: looking too closely [4]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, basically billy and jane get kidnapped by the lab and BAD SHIT happens, but don't worry !! steve harrington is around to save the day, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 16:07:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13662486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerblender/pseuds/writerblender
Summary: "Hold on, Jane!" He yells after her.This is his last chance."I'm gonna get you out; it's gonna be okay. Just hang on!"[or, how billy keeps the promises he makes]





	please don't leave me here

Billy has no idea what the _fuck_ is going on right now. All he knows is that he's speeding down an empty backroad in Hawkins, racing to get back to Hopper's cabin before any demodogs beat him to it. Jane is curled up in the front seat beside him, half conscious and trembling despite the sweat she's broken out into.

When he's further down the road, stuck at a red light with his left foot tapping the floor of his car anxiously, he shoulders off his jacket and wraps it around Jane in an attempt to comfort her whilst he's _still_ driving. Jane whimpers but her small fingers curl around the jacket, wrapping it tighter around her.

"Hang in there, kid," Billy whispers to her, anxiously looking between her and the road ahead. She looks even sicker in the red glow of the streetlight and Billy's stomach twists in worry. "You're gonna be okay," he reaches out, squeezing her shoulder gently. "I've got you."

No sooner are the words out of his mouth than does the light ahead of him turn green. Billy floors the gas.

He's making a sharp turn around an empty intersection when he's suddenly blinded by headlights. "Motherfucker!" Billy cries, slamming on the brakes as hard as he can. He stops just short of the other car and smashes the horn when the car doesn't move from in front of him. Jane's eyes open halfway, a distressed noise tumbling from her lips.

"Sorry, kid," Billy whispers to her as he hits the car horn again. "Move it, asshole!" He yells and Jane groans in response.

The car in front of him  _still_ hasn't moved and Billy decides that it's time to take matters into his own hands. He turns his head, ready to back up and get the  _hell_ away from here. When his looks out of his rear window, he's met with another set of blinding headlights, growing closer to their car with each second.

Billy figures out what's happening too late. It's all a set-up; the car is going to ram them forward, possibly killing them both in an attempts to get to Jane. Billy's got nowhere to go; they're trapped.

He turns around just in time, to place a protective arm over Jane as the car slams into them from behind. Billy forces himself to keep his arm over Jane as she lets out a terrified scream, despite the blinding pain that shoots up his shoulder and the sickening pop that it makes.

Their car comes to a stop, finally, and Billy thinks it's over. He moves his arm from Jane's torso, despite the pain telling him not to, and looks over at her. "Are you okay?" He asks and Jane, now awake from the sudden crash, nods weakly. "You're not hurt?" Billy repeats, resting his other hand on her shoulder. "Nothing hurts? You're okay?" He thinks, stupidly, wildly, that maybe they can still get out of this alive. If Jane manages to hold onto him, he can probably support her with one arm. He can hold her and run the rest of the way to the cabin, lose these lab assholes in the woods somewhere.

Then, the car rams back into the rear of the Camaro, Jane screams, and Billy's head slams into the steering wheel.

He doesn't remember anything after that.

...

_"You have to go," Steve tells him, still clutching his bloody bat with white knuckles. They've managed to ward off the first round of demodogs after Jane's collapse; they're not sure if they can do it again. "Now."_

_"Steve -- !" Billy begins to protest when Hopper cuts in between them, Jane in his arms._

_"Take her to the cabin," Hopper states briskly and moves Jane to transfer her into Billy's hold._

_Billy freezes where he's standing, eyes widening. "Not alone. I take Harrington with me."_

_"Absolutely not," Hopper snaps as Steve lets out a cry of protest against Billy's words._

_"It's Harrington or no deal," Billy demands._

_"Look, kid," Hopper says and Billy knows he means no shit. They don't have time to argue. It's a waste of time more than anything else at this point. "They're gonna follow us wherever we go. They don't know you're involved in this whole mess. They'll be less likely to trail you. You're our best bet at getting her out of here." Billy only swallows hard, eyes flickering to meet Steve's. Steve nods once._

_"Can I trust you or not, Hargrove?" Hopper asks._

_Billy nods, placing a hand under Jane's knees and back to take her from Hopper's grip. Jane lets out a weak noise of protest but her head lolls into Billy's chest only seconds later. She's weak and exhausted; blood drips from her nose as she whimpers. Billy's heart just about shatters at how pitiful -- how young -- she looks._

_Hopper squeezes Jane's hand one last time before he races off to the other side of Joyce's house where a loud pounding has begun against the wall._

_Steve looks after him, feet already turned in their direction. "Be careful, okay?" He says, reaching out to rest a hand on Billy's cheek. "I love you."_

_Steve's words sound too much like his mother's; he knows that I love you translates to:_ Just in case I don't see you again, goodbye _. He wants to drag Steve out of here, to safety, away from this hell they're up against. But Jane is still crying softly in his arms and he promised Hopper. He knows he wouldn't be able to pull Steve away no matter how worried he is for his boyfriend's safety -- not as long as they were still kids to protect._

_He nods, pressing a quick kiss to Steve's lips. "Yeah, you too, babe."_

...

When he comes to, Billy is being dragged down a long white hallway, held up by the arms by two men in white uniforms. He sees Jane struggling weakly behind him, crying out his name softly as tears stream down her face. Billy realizes, as his chest tightens painfully, that she's being dragged back to the place where she'd been abused and tortured for almost her entire life; the pure terror on her face is hard to miss.

It's then that Billy tries to break free of the men's grasp. He thinks he might have been able to but the shock of pain that shoots up his shoulder when he tries to wrestle his way out of their grip momentarily blinds him, dark spots dancing across his vision as the pain slowly subsides. "Let her go," he growls to the men holding her.

One of them smirks at him, tightening his grip on Jane in response. Jane cries harder, calling for him. Fury flares white hot in his chest.

"Let her go!" Billy yells, voice slowly coming back to him with his consciousness. "Don't fucking touch her!" He tries to kick his way to freedom, tries to gain a foothold but his boots only slide on the polished, white floors. He can't get to her no matter what he tries; he's failed Hopper's one request for him.

They reach a break in the hallway as Billy continues to hurl insults at the men holding them. The two men drag him down the left hallway and, Billy realizes, with his heart in his throat, that Jane is being dragged down the right corridor.

"Billy!" She shrieks, panic written clearly across her face. She thrashes as best as she can in the men's grip but she's still weak and too small to hurt them. Billy wishes, selfishly, that she hadn't used so much of her powers saving them from the dogs; that she'd saved enough to stop these men instead. He knows it's pointless now; her feet don't even touch the ground as the men carry her farther away from him.

"Hold on, Jane!" He yells after her as the men restraining her begin to type a passcode into the door they've stopped at. As soon as she's passed there, she'll be gone. This is his last chance. "I'm gonna get you out; it's gonna be okay. Just hang on!"

He doesn't say anymore; by the time he's got his last words out, she's been dragged into the room, kicking and screaming. The doors slide shut with a soft click and the silence echoes through the hallway.

Above him, one of the men starts to snicker.

"What the _fuck_ are you laughing at?" Billy snarls. He tries to sound menacing; he really does. He knows, however, how pitiful he must really sound. He's hurt -- badly -- and he's just lost the one person he'd promised to protect. He's most likely going to die in whatever room they leave him in.

The man doesn't even look down at him when he speaks. "It's sweet of you to lie to her like that. Telling her how it's all going to be alright."

Billy stops fighting then.

...

They have him strapped to a gurney, unable to move or see what's going on around him. He's tried to free himself from the cuffs they've placed him in, only succeeding in injuring his shoulder further. He wonders about Steve, if he and Hopper have gotten to the cabin by now and realized that he's fucked it all up. Mostly, though, he thinks about Jane. He prays to whatever God his mother believed in that she's okay, that she's safe. If he gets out of this alive, he vows to kill any fucker who lays a hand on her.

He's planning how he'll kill the smug bastard who dragged him in here when the door opens. His heart nearly stops in his chest as he listens to the sound of shoes clicking against the floor.

"Mr. Hargrove, nice of you to join us," the voice, clearly belonging to a male, says. Billy can hear a cart being wheeled towards him and for the first time since he's been inside the lab, he feels real fear flood his system.

"I hoped, perhaps, you'd find us like your father did," the man continues. "But it appears that we'll have to meet under much more unfortunate circumstances."

Billy doesn't resist as the man, a balding doctor with round glasses that make his eyes comically large, places two small pads on his temples. It's something out of a science fiction movie that he'd drop Max off to see. He almost laughs, at just how much of his life _has_ turned into something straight out of one of those films.

"I do have to thank you, before we begin, for bringing Eleven back to us," The man says, approaching the gurney. In his hands, he holds a leather belt. Billy realizes, with a start, what they're planning to do to him and, more importantly, that this man is talking about Jane. "Open wide, son."

"Fuck you," Billy grits between his teeth.

Billy doesn't see the man hit him, just feels the pain explode in his cheek and tastes the coppery blood in his mouth. He laughs out his nose, grinning at the doctor with bloody teeth. "You're going to have to do worse than that, Doc," he mumbles through his shut jaw.

"Open your mouth, Mr. Hargrove, or you'll lose that tongue of yours."

Billy keeps clenching his jaw, staring at the man in defiance, as if he's daring the man to hit him again. He's sure that if this man worked with his father, he'll have known just how _well_ he treated Billy. If he wants to break him, he's going to have to do more damage than Neil ever did to him -- and it won't be an easy feat to accomplish.

When the man _tsks_ softly, bending over him, Billy spits straight in his face. When the man recoils, disgusted, Billy smirks.

"Her name is Jane," Billy snaps, meeting the man's hardened gaze. "And if you fucking touch her, I swear to God, I'll beat your fucking face --." He never finishes his threat, as the man reaches forward, pinching his nose between his two fingers. Billy stares at him with wide eyes, confused for only the first few seconds, before he realizes what the man's doing. He's forcing Billy to open his mouth or suffocate.

Billy tries to hold on; he does. He keeps his mouth shut until his vision starts to fray around the edges, until his chest feels like it'll explode with the need for oxygen. In the end, however, his body's response to survive is too strong. The second that he opens his mouth, gasping for breath, the man shoves the leather in between his teeth and disappears from sight yet again.

Billy can only hear the low hum of the machine as it starts up. He thinks of Jane, wondering if she's suffering the same fate that he is. He prays that she's not; that if she is, she's stronger than him. If one of them deserves to survive, it's her. He thinks of Steve, of his smile and caring hands and warmth. He thinks of his body pressed against his, of their intertwined fingers, of Steve laughing in bed in the glow of the morning light.

He resolves not to scream, to not give the sick fucks the pleasure of his pain.

He's still thinking of Steve when he feels it.

As his vision goes white, he feels his body go stiff with pain and a scream rip its way through his throat.

The rest is swallowed by the electricity rushing through his veins.

...

"Think of what you're doing as a good thing, Mr. Hargrove," the man croons from where he stands. Billy thinks he's holding onto the bars of the gurney but he can't be sure. He can't feel his hands anymore. "By allowing us to test on you, Eleven's procedure will be much simpler."

Panic flares, white hot in Billy's chest. He tries to protest but the belt just pitifully muffles his words and, shortly after, a sob. He can't let Jane go through this; he _has_ to stop them. He would, he thinks, if he could just _feel_ his limbs.

"You're saving her from a lot of unnecessary pain. Really, you're doing her a favor," The man adjusts one of the pads on his head. When he's finished, he smiles down at Billy and pats his tear-stained cheek in a mock display of affection. Billy flinches away from the touch.

"Don't worry, Mr. Hargrove. This is it; it'll all be over soon," the man assures him. "You won't remember a thing."

Billy shuts his eyes tightly, preparing himself for the voltages once again. He thinks desperately of his mother's smiling face, of Steve's warmth. He  _has_ to hold onto them; he won't make it without them.

The machine whirs to live and Billy prays for a miracle.

...

The pain never comes.

He can hear the sounds of the doors opening, of voices arguing, of a scuffle. He wonders if the man's fucked him up somehow. The thought makes him laugh to himself. He has nothing to lose now; he doesn't care how crazy he might look. He's about to die after all.

"Billy? Christ, Billy. Can you hear me?"

Billy  _knows_ that voice. His eyes shoot open in curiosity, wondering if the men are trying to play some sort of sick joke on him by giving him some last shred of hope before they finally fry his brain. When his vision finally focuses, he sees Steve staring up at him in horror, already moving to grab the belt.

" _Steve_ ," Billy breathes his name like a prayer and Steve laughs wetly, reaching down to grab one of Billy's hands in his own.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm here," he says, wiping his eyes furiously with his sleeve. "I'm gonna get you out of here, alright? I'm right here." As he goes around the gurney, loosening the cuffs from his wrists and ankles, he keeps a steady hand in Billy's or resting on Billy's thigh. He's giving Billy something physical to hold onto. He's letting Billy know that he's still there, that he's not going anywhere.

Once he's done, he reaches up, quickly ripping the pads from Billy's temples. Billy winces at the feeling and Steve's eyes widen in concern. "I'm sorry," he whispers but Billy just shakes his head slowly.

"I'm alright, Harrington," he mumbles, pushing himself up on his elbows with shaking arms. "Help me stand, would ya? We've gotta get Jane."

"Whoa, whoa, Billy, slow down," Steve urges, his hands resting on Billy's torso and neck to steady him as Billy forces himself into the upright position. The world spins and Billy groans, resting his head against Steve's shoulder as the spell passes.

"You've just been..." Steve's eyes flicker over to the machine next to them and swallows hard. "You can't just go running into a fight like this. You're hurt."

"I promised her," Billy says. "I'm not leaving without her."

Steve only stares at him for a few more seconds before he nods slowly. "Okay. Yeah. Let's go."

...

"Where's Hop?" Billy asks, shutting his eyes as the flashing emergency lights disorient him further. He's still shaky on his feet, favoring Steve as a crutch for the first few steps into the hallway.

"In the control room. He's looking for Jane with the cameras. It's easier than checking each room," Steve explains.

Billy shakes his head, despite the pain that grows with each movement. "He'll never find her in time."

"Do you have a better plan? It's not like you know where she is," Steve repeats and Billy sends him a weak glare. "Okay, you _do_ ," Steve continues. "By all means, lead the way."

...

When they reach the room, Steve smashes the passcode screen with a fire axe that he's broken out of its case. It sparks pitifully before the door clicks, unlocked. Billy doesn't wait for Steve as he pushes the door open. Adrenaline is racing through his system. At this point, he can barely feel the pain in his shoulder.

"Jane?"

She's curled up in the corner of the room, shaking in a thin hospital gown. There's more blood on her face; it's coming from her ears now too. When she looks up, her face floods with hope. "Billy!" She cries, racing toward him as soon as she realizes who he is.

Billy kneels down to be at her height, embracing her as she wraps her arms around his neck in a tight hug. He can feel her trembling against him, can hear her sniffle as she tries to hide her tears into his shirt. "Let's get out of here, yeah?" He whispers and feels Jane nod against his chest.

"Home," she whispers.

"Yeah, kid. We're gonna get you home. Just hold onto me, alright? I've got you."

...

They're almost out the doors -- Billy can _see_  the outside through the glass -- when a man steps in front of them. Billy's ready to push past him, thinking he wouldn't dare mess with Steve's axe and Hopper's gun, when the man pulls out a gun of his own and aims it straight at Jane's back.

Billy's hand instinctively reaches for her head, keeping her face buried in his shoulder. The last thing she ever sees shouldn't be the barrel of a gun. "It's okay," he lies. "We're almost there."

"Give us Eleven and you can leave," the man says calmly. "We won't bother you or your families. You have our word."

"Go to Hell," Billy spits and the man takes the safety off the gun. Panic floods into his system and tightens his hold on Jane.

"Give us Eleven and nobody gets hurt."

"Lower the gun," Steve commands and the man turns to look at him. Billy's heart thunders in his chest; he can't protect Jane  _and_ Steve.

The man only smiles. "A dead experiment is just as useful as an alive one," he says coolly. Jane whimpers into Billy's shirt.

Before any of them can say anything more, the gun goes off.

...

Billy reacts naturally.

He spins his body around, covering Jane's body with his own, and waits for the bullet to hit him.

...

It never does.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?!" He hears Steve roar, feels the other boy's hands on his shirt as he yanks him upwards so the two are face-to-face. In his arms, Jane groans at the jostling movement. "What the _fuck_ were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I wasn't about to let a little kid get shot, that's what!" Billy retorts instantly.

Hopper kicks the gun away from where the man lays on the floor as a precaution and glares hard at them both. "Can you two save this argument for when we're _not_ in danger?"

Billy looks away from Steve's terrified and pained expression and nods. He'd like, at least _once_ that night, for his life to not be at risk.

...

Billy and Steve are seated in the back of Hopper's truck as the older man drives down the road, headed toward the cabin at speeds that Billy hadn't even hit on _bad_ days. Jane is still in Billy's lap, holding onto fistfuls of his shirt as she rests her head on his chest. She had refused to let go of him, sending Hopper one of the deadliest looks Billy's ever seen when the man had tried to take her from him. Billy rubs her back in an attempt to comfort her, squeezing her shoulder softly every minute or so.

"We need to talk, you know," Steve says softly, reaching to intertwine his fingers with Billy's. Billy stares at their hands for a few minutes before he speaks.

"About what?"

"About your little hero moment back there, asshole," Steve replies. "I don't know what I would've done if..." He looks away from Billy, taking a moment to gather himself before he speaks. "Seeing you in there... I thought you were gone. I thought it was too late. I had you and then I almost lost you again and, Christ, Billy, I don't know what I'd do if I _did_ lose you."

Billy's frozen, staring at Steve and gaping at his confession, when Jane speaks for the first time since she's been in the car.

"Okay," she says softly. Her small hand tightens its grip on his shirt. "I've got you," she parrots.

Steve looks down at her, smiling softly, and squeezes her arm gently. Billy's cheeks burn when Steve's gaze falls on him.

She smiles back at him before she continues. "Okay. Got  _us_. Friends protect friends."

Steve can only nod at her statement, leaning to press a kiss to Billy's temple. It's a different sort of touch than the abuse that Billy's endured today but he doesn't protest -- in fact, he finds himself leaning into the touch. Steve squeezes his hand tighter. "You need to go to the hospital."

"Can't," Billy replies instantly. "They'll call Susan and she'll bring Max. I don't want to put them through that."

"Billy..." Steve begins to protest but Billy only shakes his head.

"Hop's got a first aid kit back in the cabin," Billy explains, "and I don't think that I'll be losing my newest attachment any time soon." As if to answer him, Jane shakes her head softly against his chest. Steve and Billy both smile at her.

"Plus, Harrington, I know you have plenty of experience with taking care of me," Billy continues and Steve sends him a harsh glare.

"Not funny," he spits.

"Not joking," Billy continues. "Friends protect friends, yeah? That means they take care of them too."

Steve only sighs, pressing a lingering kiss to Billy's forehead. The younger boy sighs at that contact and Steve brushes his thumb across the back of Billy's hand in a desperate attempt to comfort him more. He knows that the rest of the night and days to follow will be hard; Billy's endured a lot but _nothing_ like this.

"Yeah," Steve whispers against Billy's skin. "I'll take care of you."

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote most of this?? in one of my psych lectures. so, you know. truly a dedicated uni student. it also means this is un-beta'd. sorry. we die like men here on ao3.
> 
> come yell at me for this @ wndasmaximoffs on tumblr !
> 
> kudos and comments are like sending me the valentines i won't get from the cute boys (and girls and people in general) !!!
> 
> title is from aurora's "through the eyes of a child"


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